PBN: How would you characterize the state of the WiMAX industry?

[Middletown-based Towerstream's CEO JEFF] THOMPSON: This is a very exciting time for the WiMAX industry. Clearwire has an IPO. We just became public. Sprint just announced a $4 billion investment in WiMAX. There are hundreds of trials going on.

PBN: How does WiMAX fit into the wireless broadband picture that we have out there now?

THOMPSON: EDVO — Verizon's version of wireless broadband – is extremely slow...With WiMAX, we're talking multi-megabits for multi-miles... And the cost of running a WiMAX network compared to a legacy cellular network is so dramatically less expensive that your cost structure gives you extremely high margins, which gives you a better business model.

PBN: Has the growth of VoIP affected your business?

THOMPSON: Every small and medium business is trying to get into VoIP. All the networks are going to IP...Everyone is going to VoIP eventually. ...